with Shelly Birger Phillips
Here’s a great game you can play virtually anytime you’re home and busy with a task. Your kids will love it and feel connected to you, even as you continue to cook dinner.
What other ways could you play this game? Can you see how it can help kids learn colors, shapes, locations of things in your home, sizes, and so much more?! I would love to hear how you would modify this game to best fit your child’s interests. Please leave me a comment!
I am super excited to announce the upcoming release of my very first book! Cracking the Kid Code will be available on October 18th. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the content.
What do you think of when you hear the word “discipline”? When most people think about parenting and discipline they probably think of punitive discipline like time out, yelling, spanking, or taking away privileges.
I don’t want my daughter to be afraid of me or of the punishment I might hand down. So I’ve chosen the most peaceful parenting I can possibly muster. But if punitive discipline is out, does that mean I’m a total softie and my kids walk all over me? Definitely not.
In fact, setting clear and consistent boundaries is one of the best ways to help your child feel secure. In the Montessori schools in which I worked, we practiced a logical or natural consequences approach to setting boundaries with kids. And it really worked! Children understood why we did things a certain way and they were usually happy to cooperate.
Ever since I saw the blog The Zero Waste Home last week (thanks ShalomMama!), I can’t stop thinking about the idea of living a life with less, if not “zero” waste. I’ve been hyper aware of every single thing I put into the trash. And I’ve been asking myself, what would I do with that, if I didn’t throw it away? Bea Johnson, says “Refuse, refuse, refuse, and then reduce, reuse, recycle.” And I certainly like the idea of simplifying my life and reducing my carbon footprint. But I’m just not sure how far I’m willing to go to get there.
Well, it has happened. My sweet baby is already becoming a willful toddler. The past week or so has been filled with frustrating moments for her and for anyone near her. She has begun to whine. She is clinging to us like she thinks we’ll disappear if we’re out of her sight. And of course, she’s also starting to walk.
Learning to walk and talk are HUGE developmental milestones for a baby and with the new development comes an equally big emotional response. Tears and frustration abound as we humans learn new skills and reach new levels of development. And it’s not just babies who experience the emotional ride of learning new skills. Children and adults of all ages have the same big feelings. When we reach a goal, there’s often a big emotional high and an accompanying let down.